how i write songs

this pretty much sums it up

shows i am really fucking glad i missed

for those of you who don’t know this guy…he is the guy the father ted episode mrs doyle baking a cake jumper is about.

showsi wish i had been at – part 2

awesome band awesome song awesome show.

shows i wish i had been at – part 1

This is the bad brains. I saw them once without HR singing. It was one of best nights of my life. I would love to have been at this show with HR singing.

cuba

I’m off to cuba until the beginning of august. Poor me. I will be out of touch until i get back. I hope everybody is feeling good and happy. i’m looking forward to sharing all these new songs with you.

the pope can go fuck himself

I was born a catholic. I utterly renounce and reject the catholic religion with every cell in my body. I left Ireland hating my country because it was run by the catholic church. It controlled us through fear and guilt. It let young girls die in fields giving birth and rapists go free. It stopped us speaking out. It stopped us thinking. It helped that we were poor. We couldn’t travel much and we stewed in their lies. Then we got cashed up and traveled and broadened our minds. The church died in the face of truth. We were not afraid to speak any more. Words started to slip, the rapes the torture the humiliation was put out on the line for all to see. I was angry. I got over it.
But then..
Aids spread like wildfire through Africa and the developing world and the catholic church and its related “relief” agencies spoke out against the use of condoms.
In the last week the Pope has managed to piss off and insult Jewish people and protestants. He had already insulted Islam. Just as we are getting it together up north and trying to heal old wounds this pontificating asshole drives a wedge into the bloody sore. I don’t think the catholic church could survive if all the religions got along. It has historically been every adept at divide and conquer. My blood boiled.
Today was the last straw. The Vatican is now telling catholics to withdraw support for amnesty because it supports abortion in rape and incest cases. This is after it withdrew support from UNICEF for handing out post intercourse spermicide to teenage girls in refugee camps who had been raped.
And now the Vatican is speaking out against modern feminism…it must have got bored telling gay people they are evil.
And while I’m at it Mel Gibson can go fuck himself too…

fuel for album

i don’t get drunk or high or smoke but i am just addicted as the rest. This bag holds a kilo of cardamon laced coffee my sister brought me back from Palestine. I can barely type…

shut up and sing

Just saw the movie shut up and sing about the Dixie chicks and the hassle death threats etc they received for saying what they believed about Bush. I can’t say i’m a fan of their music but i am a fan of their spirit. It’s nice to see people still exist like that. Reminds me of my favourite sign during the anti war protests in Dublin before the invasion of Iraq. “Where the fuck are you now Bono?” That and “Down with this sort of thing!” (you have to be a father ted fan to get that…what are you waiting for…go hire the entire father ted series.)

voice tips

I do what i do because i like to sing. It’s such a primal force. I am currently training to get as fit as possible for the next album. Why? because if your unfit you sing like shit. People ask me what tips i have for keeping the voice in shape. And here is the sum of what works for me. 1. Drink lots of water
2. Avoid alcohol (it constricts the vocals chords)
3. Before shows don’t go hard on juice as the acid also fucks up the vocal chords.
4. Try to avoid dairy as phlegm makes it hard to sing. (I fuckin love cheese…so its hard)
5. Smoking and Joints. Avoid both. Marijuana actually burns a hole in your vocal chords. (that was from an opera singer is spoke to as well as some others)
6. Try to be as fit as possible
7. Sing from your diaphraghm. above your stomach and below your lungs, try to imagine e all the energy and power in your voice coming from there rather than your throat.
8. Warm up, go through the range of mouth and throat motions you make when singing. Start singing some low lines and notes and work up. Don’t spend more than 5-15 mins doing this. You have a window of about and hour before your chords become tired.
9. Try to avoid too much caffeine (sucks for me) as it dehydrates your chords.
10. Use a scarf when its cold and put a warm top on after performing.
11. Get plenty of sleep.
12. on planes drink loads of water to combat dry air, same in hotels.
13. Sing in your own voice and your own range. It should feel comfortable. That way you develop our own style too.

When things go wrong: It happens everyone, sore throat, cold, flu etc
1. manuka honey. take a spoon fool and let it dissolve on back of your throat. Don’t add it to water.
2. Echinacea and lots of vit c and zinc supplements. golden seal too/
3. Blocked sinus, nose? Have to perform? this is disgusting but works. get a fishermans friend suck it, put iot up your blocked nostril (not too far you idiot) and the nose will unblock with lots of snot and synovial fluid. Gross but it makes you look interesting.
4. Sleep.
5. Hot showers.
6. there are really good throat teas out there now which usually have liquorice, sage etc in them. I used to get mixtures made up but the teas are great and cheaper and work just as well.